Crazy key bitting imo

[taurus420]

I was wondering if this is a difficult key bitting for an American 5100, I haven't been able to spp it just yet. This is the first real hard core security lock I have been practicing with. I'm just wondering why it is soo difficult. All serrated I think top & bottom. input??

[HallisChalmers]

Key bitting looks to be a little difficult - but I've seen worse. As far as pins go, Americans typically utilize 3 serrated and 2 spool/serrated hybrid driver pins - with the key pins being regular.

Use very light TOK tension and really concentrate on feeling the pins.

[tacolord455]

I was wondering if this is a difficult key bitting for an American 5100, I haven't been able to spp it just yet. This is the first real hard core security lock I have been practicing with. I'm just wondering why it is soo difficult. All serrated I think top & bottom. input??

Try picking a brinks shrouded as practice for this lock, and depending on your skill level, this may not be a good lock to have your first security pins experience

[awol70]

I was wondering if this is a difficult key bitting for an American 5100, I haven't been able to spp it just yet. This is the first real hard core security lock I have been practicing with. I'm just wondering why it is soo difficult. All serrated I think top & bottom. input??

Try picking a brinks shrouded as practice for this lock, and depending on your skill level, this may not be a good lock to have your first security pins experience

i wouldn't jump to a six pin lock to learn how to pick a 5-pinner.
nail the American first...
what is the factory code stamped on the bow?
remember #9 cut pins (actually read as an 8 cut in direct bitting.) are at the shearline when at rest,and sometimes do not have to be picked at all..

[the lockpickkid]

Yes the bitting is a little different, but can you pick it? Hell yes you can, just pretend that it's an ordinary Master lock, just use light as hell tension, and go for it, these things don't give me much problem anymore.

[Riff]

I just started on americans myself. I have one that a friend gave me that has pretty wacky bitting. The one I bought I went to the lock shop where my friend works and he pinned it like I wanted. Nothing in particular, just something that was pretty even so I could get the feel of the inside of these locks. That may be something that you want to look into, just bring your lock in and they will repin it for you for like 7 bucks. I still havent picked either one by the way, but I havent given it a whole lot of my time either. I think I'm using way to much tension. Hope this helps.

[the lockpickkid]

Great idea Riff for sure, if a guy has a little money and likes this hobby, you can always buy a small pinning kit, that way you can always pin locks yourself, or if a friend needs his locks changed, you can make a few extra bucks and repin it for him!! For these Americans, for me it's getting past what everybody says about them, and using light tension, don't ever pick a lock with the thought "I can't do it, Americans are too hard" Grab the fricken lock and know that you can and you will open it, it just takes practice, my mind tells me I can't, but I can, and I do, most of the time

[taurus420]

-SEGz4- Thanks for the input, I think I need to fashion a custom tok tension wrench for this job. It just seems like my tension wrench's are binding a bit and messing up my pick action. I have a small stiff double sided tw that doesn't bind at all but it's really short & I prefer longer tw's. I'll keep on it & hope for the best I practice on this lock and an Abus "Prinzing" 40mm, no.41 with a tough keyway & bitting..

[taurus420]

Key pins are all serrated I know for a fact also, I popped them out to see but I didn't look at the top pins. They feel serrated also, slight grinding

[the lockpickkid]

-SEGz4- Thanks for the input, I think I need to fashion a custom tok tension wrench for this job. It just seems like my tension wrench's are binding a bit and messing up my pick action. I have a small stiff double sided tw that doesn't bind at all but it's really short & I prefer longer tw's. I'll keep on it & hope for the best I practice on this lock and an Abus "Prinzing" 40mm, no.41 with a tough keyway & bitting..

As I have stated before, I often make a new tension wrench for every different keyway I come across, some are narrow, some are wide, others you have to bend a little on the tip part that goes into a keyway to conform it to that particular keyway itself, just to make it grab, to keep it from binding, and to keep it from falling out sometimes.